Climatologist to Talk Weather Risks, Ag Conditions
Published: Friday, January 10, 2025
"Weather poses one of the biggest risks that producers face each year," said Austin Pearson, a climatologist at the Midwestern Regional Climate Center. "Every season is different, making each season unique and presenting their own challenges."
Pearson will be presenting on climate impacts on agriculture at the Fort Wayne Farm Show next Tuesday in Appleseed Room A. The session gets underway at noon.
"Climate Impacts on Ag" will focus on six main discussion points. These include a review of the 2024 growing season, an overview of climate services, information on the Midwestern Regional Climate Center, information on the Indiana State Climate Office, weather's impact on spray drift and a winter outlook.
"I hope the audience gains insight into the MRCC and the Indiana State Climate Office's ongoing efforts to improve the weather data's usability, enabling them to make informed decisions throughout all phases of their operations," he said.
Pearson will review data, climate tools and maps available for the agriculture industry to utilize throughout all phases of their operation in his discussion about the Midwest Regional Climate Center.
Likewise, he will review data and products to help producers be better informed of weather impacts when discussing the Indiana State Climate Office.
He also plans to talk about the Purdue Mesonet, a state-wide, research-grade weather network that observes pertinent agricultural conditions such as temperature inversions, soil temperature, soil moisture, and growing degree day accumulations, can be used to help make decisions during all phases of agricultural operations. The Mesonet looks to expand to every county in the state under the umbrella of the Indiana Mesonet, a collaboration with the Indiana Geological & Water Survey's Indiana Water Balance Network.
The review of the 2024 growing season will consist of a discussion of the back-and-forth conditions, with the big story being the dry fall. In the overview of climate services will be a review of federal, regional and state climate service providers and their implications to agriculture producers.
Pearson also plans to discuss weather's impact on spray drift to help farmers better understand how weather variables impact spray drift and how producers can utilize weather information to make spray decisions.
Finally, he will include a brief discussion about winter weather conditions and implications to the early growing season.
The presentation will be in Powerpoint format.
Pearson and other Midwestern Regional Climate Center employees work to make sure the decision support tools available through the MRCC and the Indiana State Climate Office are useful for producers to make informed management decisions to minimize those risks.
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